The story of Luc Verelst
A formative event
In August 2008, Luc Verelst’s sister was diagnosed with endometrium cancer. Her prognosis was poor. Luc embarked on a rational and systematic search for a treatment solution, but encountered overwhelming, complex and often contradictory information – and time was of the essence. The entire process was frustrating and discouraging, and inspired him to find a way to help others struggling to find scientifically validated information about their diseases and potential treatments.
Driven to empower patients
In 2009, Luc founded Reliable Cancer Therapies (RCT), a non-profit organisation with two goals: to share information about reliable cancer treatment methods with the general public, and to investigate new treatment options. Because every cancer patient should be able to access independent, well-documented and comprehensible information about treatment options.
The search continues… in science
Besides RCT, Luc Verelst founded in 2013 a Belgian private foundation, the Anticancer Fund (ACF), which became a foundation of public utility in 2018. The ACF was created to accomplish one key goal: to discover a cure for cancer. The ACF scientists focussed their early efforts on the well-documented, scientific investigation of alternative cancer treatments not offered in mainstream clinics. The team explored the stories of exceptional survivors and exhaustively examined results from private clinics worldwide.
Succeeding where the ‘cancer industry’ fails
Throughout years of research experience, the Anticancer Fund has gained new insights in how to support progress in cancer care and offer more options to cancer patients. Patient benefits aren’t always priorities in commercial cancer drug development.
As an independent research fund, we focus on four areas where we think philanthropy money can lead to novel findings and the development of new options in cancer treatments. Today, Luc is still involved as chairman of the board, sharing his own questions and insights and pushing the team to think outside the box in their quest for evidence-based cancer treatment options.
Our current focus areas
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Drug repurposing
Drug repurposing, also known as drug repositioning, is a drug development strategy predicated on the reuse of existing...
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Less common and rare cancers
We don’t just focus on the ‘big four’ of cancer – prostate, colon, breast and lung. We also investigate new treatment...
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Combination therapies
It is important to investigate the impacts of drugs beyond what they can achieve alone. Using them in combination...
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Preventing tumour recurrence
For cancer survivors, the fight isn’t always over. Many are concerned about the possibility of recurrence, and living...
Our views on treating cancer
OUR PROMISE
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We invest in the most promising research to make measurable progress in the fight against cancer. -
We strive to improve survival and quality of life, financial return is not within the scope of our activities. -
We identify untapped potential in cancer research leading to pragmatic solutions for patients in need. -
We seek impact and we invest our resources where we believe we can make the most progress. -
Every cancer deserves the same attention, regardless of prevalence or profitability.